Chapter 4

Perhaps the Seven Gods answered her prayer, and Bran stayed in Winterfell. But what remained was a broken Bran. Her poor child, her most beloved child. According to Master Luwen, this child is likely to be crippled; even if he wakes, he cannot stand again.

But she still held a sliver of hope. Mei told her that she might be able to make Bran stand again, if she fully trusted her.

If a demon appeared and said it could bring her Bran back, she would trade without hesitation; moreover, this is a legendary figure who has traveled the whole world, Bran's half-sister, still a sister, and she believes this person would not use evil magic to harm her Bran.

To reassure herself, she watched her treatment process, she watched her "casting spells", not missing a single time.

Each time, she carefully took off Bran's clothes, let him lie on his side, and placed both hands on little Bran's back; then Bran would miraculously moan. Catelyn knew it was not a moan of pain, but a sign of recovery; most importantly, she saw Bran's toes twitching, as if he were still dreaming of climbing some tower of Winterfell.

In this process, Mei also seemed to pay a price; after each session she seemed as dehydrated, utterly exhausted. Catelyn did not know what price Mei paid in this process. She could only offer Mei everything she could provide, and if possible, even offer herself.

She knew magic always has a price, as the old saying goes: magic exchanges life for life, soul for soul, body for body.

To speed up the process and put her more at ease, she once urged Mei to kill a prisoner to restore Bran, but Mei merely gave her a strange look. She thought it insufficient, that she needed a soul to help Bran, so she offered to trade her own life for her son's. At that moment, Mei seemed to finally understand, and gave her a weary smile.

"My good lady, I am not a mage, not an evil witch; please believe me, Bran will wake up and return to normal, though it will take some time. We do not need others to pay a price, nor do we need you, my lady, to give your life."

Catelyn could do nothing for her child; she repeatedly prayed to the Seven Gods, but they gave no answer. She could only weakly ask Mei when Bran would wake, and Mei merely smiled in her fatigue, saying, "I guess he will surely wake within three days, my lady."

She trusted Mie even more; that was the most powerful sentence she had ever heard. As for the later words like 'You should also rest, don't overexert yourself,' to her they were utterly meaningless nonsense. She could not rest, could not avoid exertion; she could wait for Bran for a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. Three days was nothing—she could keep watch by his bedside day and night for three days, and she would make sure he saw her the moment he opened his eyes.

She thought she would be the first to see Bran wake up, but she was wrong.

She never imagined that someone would wield a weapon and stab her son lying in bed within Winterfell. Her vigil was not entirely useless, but the one truly able to protect Bran was his direwolf.

When people found her, they saw her sitting on the ground like an idiot, laughing maniacally, one hand covered in blood. Beside her lay a groom whose throat had been torn out. Master Luwen washed and bandaged her wounds, then fed her flower milk.

She had never slept so deeply. When she woke and felt the pain of her wound, she smiled; when people told her Bran had awakened, she felt no regret at not being the first to see him wake—she was simply overjoyed.

After seeing Bran, she resumed her bearing as the mistress of Winterfell. Reflecting on her conduct during that time, she felt a wave of shame—she had brought disgrace upon House Tully, and she swore she would never behave that way again.

When she summoned Mie again, she expressed her gratitude; Bran woke at the time she had expected. This time she didn't need to gauge Mie's ability through observation—she could simply ask Bran. She also no longer had to set aside her dignity as Winterfell's mistress to beg Mie for help.

That Caitlyn was so embarrassing. She would be a brand‑new Caitlyn.

"My lady, now that Bran has awakened, I need to find herbs for his medicinal bath and combine it with bone‑and‑muscle alignment; I believe he will stand again." Mie spoke as usual, calm and steady, more like a reliable warrior than a woman.

"What herbs? I can send people to look for them for you."

"There are many, my lady. I will lead people to search for them myself; the follow‑up handling can be done with your help. Besides, my men in Winterfell have grown restless—I reckon their bones are rusting—so I will take them out hunting, of course on Stark lands, which I have already asked Robb to permit."

Caitlyn laughed; hunting was a trivial matter. But she was also pleased that Mie could move about on her own.

She had originally asked Eddard to bring Mie along to King's Landing, partly to protect Eddard's safety and partly to remove her from the North, away from Winterfell; although Eddard disagreed, she believed that if she persisted it would happen. After Bran fell from the tower, everything became impossible to speak of, and she needed Mie to stay by Bran's side to "treat" him.

More serious matters awaited her. If someone wanted to kill Bran, it would mean his disability was no accident. When Robb, Rodrik, Xien, and Master Luwen together reported this to her, Mie asked to withdraw, but she kept her there. If Xien could be trusted, she had no reason not to trust this person.

"Gentlemen, a Valyrian steel dagger is not commonplace; to kill someone with such a weapon is the act of a fool so rich he has no concept of money. I want to follow this dagger to investigate, which would only land me in the net of whoever plotted this. This dagger would be better left to Bran as a keepsake!" Mie voiced what everyone could feel; her original intention to take the dagger to King's Landing for investigation faded as well. She was hinting at Prince Joffrey, and Catherine understood.

"Using the dagger that killed him as a keepsake?" Xien laughed, "That's truly ridiculous!"

"Just treat it as a warning."

"Just like the warning 'winter is coming'?" Xien laughed even harder. He hadn't realized that joking in the Stark tongue here was inappropriate.

Mie smiled at the corner of her mouth, paying no further heed; Xien, meanwhile, was smugly pleased.

"If that's the case, who murdered my son—wouldn't that be unknowable?" Caitlyn looked into Mie's eyes, expressing that she understood, but she didn't know whether Mie could grasp the hint.

She felt a bit helpless and somewhat angry; this was a reasonable suspicion, but against such a target they could do nothing, nor could they speak openly—he could only go through the motions.

"You'd do better to ask Bran what he saw before he got injured." Master Rodrik, white-haired and white-bearded, had served the Starks all his life; he is someone trustworthy in every way, and nearly every boy raised in the household receives his instruction. He is practically family.

"We've already asked Bran; he doesn't remember the fall or anything like that. But he said he had a dream, and you were in it, Mie." Xien chuckled, seemingly pointing the suspicion of the assassin toward Mie.

Caitlyn would not allow this atmosphere to continue.

She had never liked his giggling face, as if he mocked everyone he saw. "Come on, either call her my sister or call her Lady Mie," Caitlyn snapped at Xien after glaring at him, then pressed, "What exactly was the dream?"

"He said that in his dream he kept falling from the tower; he dreamed of ravens, and as he fell the ravens urged him to fly, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get airborne. Afterwards Mie appeared beside him, stabbing the ravens to death one after another, until no more ravens came to bother him and he woke." Robb interjected, relating the dream.

"The meaning of dreams is often impossible to fathom and cannot be correctly interpreted; I think we'd best not dwell on it." Master Luwen wore a sheepskin lining under his robe, but he still had his scholar's garb draped over it, making him look somewhat stout.

"That's wise." Caitlyn trusted Master Luwen; when the topic reached this point she felt she could issue a command, so she turned to Mie: "Since you can protect Bran, I hope you will continue to treat him." Then she addressed the master: "Master Luwen, I know healing is normally the scholar's duty, but given the circumstances I cannot refrain from letting Mie try; I hope you can understand."

"My lady, this is my lack of skill; you may safely leave it to Mie to attempt, and I am willing to assist wherever needed to improve my craft." Caitlyn gazed at him earnestly, detecting no dissatisfaction.

"Master Luwen, you are my teacher; my knowledge of navigation, astronomy, history, and herbs comes from you. Without these, I might have foundered in the Narrow Sea. While treating Bran, please stay at hand to guide me; I also have other questions I need to ask you, some of which may require you to act yourself."

Xien snorted with laughter. Robb gave him a jab with his hand.

Caitlyn smiled. No wonder girls mature earlier than boys—these two are still just boys.

"My lady, Robb has sealed the news of Bran's assault; please keep your words confidential as well, lest we alert the enemy."

Caitlyn glanced at Mie and sighed at women's attentiveness: "I think the same; everyone, be vigilant with secrecy—act as if this never happened."

Lying in bed, Bran had grown even thinner; he could speak, but he had lost his former beaming smile, perhaps only to regain it after full recovery. She told herself she should be satisfied with this.

She watched Mie treat him. This time he managed to crawl up completely, while Mie merely placed her hands on his back, making it seem as if she did nothing, yet from Bran's expression it was clear she had done a great deal.

Bran stripped off his clothes, his face flushed, unable to look at his mother, let alone at Mie, but Catherine merely gave a faint smile as she watched him.

"I feel it, I feel it!" Bran shouted.

"What do you feel?" This was an exclamation of surprise, and Caitlyn immediately pressed.

"I feel my legs, I feel my toes, I feel down there." He almost screamed.

"Bran, don't move around, absolutely don't move. Before you fully recover, any disturbance will undo all progress—believe me, you should only need to endure a few more months." Mie carefully turned Bran over.

Bran's face was flushed; he must have felt utterly embarrassed, this fool.

"Yes, Bran, before you recover you must absolutely not move about," Caitlyn repeated anxiously.

"I will prepare a medicinal bath for you; that will speed your recovery—perhaps you'll be walking on your own in just a few weeks."

"This technique is miraculous—how did you manage it, Mie?" Master Luwen understood that this was hardly sorcery, but rather a legitimate restorative therapy.

"Master Luwen, I am clearing his meridians; his bones are uninjured, it is his nerves that are damaged, and if treated promptly he should regain some function." Mie seized Master Luwen's hand.

Caitlyn watched Luwen's expression turn odd. "Nerve pathways—is that a concept from the Academy?"

Mie did not answer him, placing her hand on the back of his. "Do you feel it, master?"

"I feel heat flowing between my hands; this, this should…" the scholar asked in astonishment.

"It's not magic; it's the utilization of the body's energy. I can't really say what it is, but it's not magic—I can sense very subtle things with this power, including the nerves. When I feel them, I can use it to meridian‑clear and stimulate."

"It's truly miraculous, this power." Scholar Lu Wen bowed to her, "As for the medicinal bath, perhaps you could explain it to me; I'll make the preparations."

"Yes, Scholar Lu Wen, I do need your help. Many herbs, I don't know their names, I can only search in the wild. With these herbs, we can speed up the recovery."

Caitlin had great confidence in Mei Yi. But she had just heard a term, she felt a bit fearful, yet she had to ask, "What does it mean to recover 'a part'?" Caitlin could feel her own voice trembling. She had originally been full of hope.

"My lady, this part would allow him to walk on his own, ride a horse, run, and have intercourse on his own, but it might not be enough for him to wield a sword and defeat Robb; his physical condition could limit his potential." Mei Yi explained solemnly.

What more should I pray for? At first I only wanted him not to die; then I hoped he could speak; then I hoped he could stand up. I shouldn't expect more—the gods have already been generous enough. She reached out and grabbed Mei Yi, "Mei Yi, please do your best; I have no other wishes. This child…"

Although this child cannot become a palace guard, he can still be a good lord. Since he has awakened, he needs to continue studying; studying can also keep him from lying in bed and letting his mind wander. Scholar Lu Wen interrupted her distress, his gaze fixed on Bran.

Yes, Scholar Lu Wen, please help him, just as you helped Robb. After instructing Scholar Lu Wen, Caitlin kissed Bran, comforted him for a while, then left.

There are still many matters awaiting her in the city; she is not only Bran's mother but also Robb and Rickon's mother. The turmoil in Winterfell has made Robb grow up overnight, and she cannot act like a petulant child; she needs to be a true futile.

In Winterfell and the winter market, Mei Yi's guards number several dozen, and the personnel serving them are several times more. As for those who have not come to Winterfell, she dare not imagine. However, Mei Yi's gains from seafaring are abundant enough to pay all these people's wages. These wages have already made the surrounding markets prosper, including brothels. They have indeed caused quite a stir in Winterfell and the surrounding areas. Today they all left Winterfell together to go hunting; perhaps the surroundings will become much quieter.

Caitlin also has things she needs to do; she still has a younger son. She arranged for Tina and Lanbo to prepare food for Bran, she asked the old wet nurse to tell Bran his favorite stories after Scholar Lu Wen left. She also needs to accompany Rickon in learning everything he wants to know, and she even needs to feed and raise the furry dog for him.

The furry dog, this is a childish name; his affection for this dog is not as great as in summer, just as his fondness for Rickon falls short of that for Bran. This impression makes her feel guilty.

In her remaining time she longs for Eddard far away in King's Landing, and she misses her beautiful, gentle eldest daughter Sansa, as well as her clever, lively younger daughter Arya. She knows Sansa will certainly be able to handle the various etiquette of King's Landing; in this regard she worries about her younger daughter, perhaps King's Landing cannot educate her into a well‑read, courteous lady.

Looking at the furry dog, she also thought of the direwolf, the dead stag, and Sansa's direwolf Lady.

When Lady's corpse was returned to Winterfell, all the wolves in the city began to howl; thinking of it, she felt utterly terrified. She had never liked these wolves. But summer saved Bran, making her realize that the direwolf is not only this family's sigil, but also its strength. The two girls have lost this strength; can they fare well in King's Landing?

Separation is painful enough; she resents herself for pushing Eddard into the unfamiliar south. Yes, the old premier was killed, but that does not affect the North a thousand miles away; even if they fight each other to bloody ends, the North can still remain unharmed. If half of Mei Yi's information about Lysa is true, she ought not to believe Lysa's accusation.

She really felt dazed.

Could having three healthy sons make her think she could contend in the south? Rickard Stark also had three healthy sons; when he followed the old scholar's advice, seeking to make his mark upon the world, he, together with his heir and the elite warriors from the various northern families who had come to the North, all died in King's Landing. She brushed aside these unpleasant thoughts, but fear clung like a shadow, making her uneasy.

No, Eddard will surely be fine. She has received news that Eddard's brother Benjen disappeared while ranging north of the Wall; people searched many times, to no avail, and seeing no hope of anyone alive alive, perhaps she should send this news to Eddard in King's Landing. Perhaps the only living son of Duke Rickard now is Eddard. Ah, she still has three sons by her side, each healthy and sound.

May the Seven Gods bless, may the Old Gods look favorably upon their faithful far away in the south.

In the evening, Rodrik led his troop back to the castle, contrary to her expectation that he would camp outside. They brought back all kinds of strange grasses, and a prisoner. This prisoner had thick lips, called himself Stink, gray eyes, and put on a fawning smile to beg for his life, which she greatly disliked.

My lady, the gods are truly cruel, to have let such a thing happen. Rodrik's words made her heart pound; she really did not want to hear cruel news.

We captured two hunters in Winterfell's hunting grounds. Rodrik pointed at that Stink, "Damn it, they were hunting people; we ran into them in the Rattleshank area, and they were skinning the girl they called their prey. We killed one and took the other prisoner."

Hearing this story made Caitlin's scalp tingle. This must be the work of the Dreadfort.

Robb also walked over. "Mother, we must go to the library to question Lord Roose Bolton."

Roose Bolton is someone even Eddard is wary of; this is not someone Robb can casually manipulate.

The dead man, according to this prisoner, is named 'Ramsay Snow'; going by his clothes and ornaments, it basically matches, meaning we have killed Roose Bolton's bastard!

The one killed is Roose Bolton's son, possibly his only son. If his attitude toward bastards is half as severe as Eddard's, this is not something that can be casually settled.

Mother, they committed a capital crime on their father's lands; we need not hold back, we can directly question Roose Bolton.

Yes, you've arranged it well; we need not hold back. Let's put this Stink in prison first. The person is already dead, what more is there to think? Caitlin had long heard of Roose Bolton's wicked bastard; if the rumors are half true, he is the North's first villain.

Then, what should we do with the mongrel's corpse?

Better yet, let's skin him and send him back. The newly entered Theon said indifferently.

The North forbids flaying people. Robb reminded.

Then let's chop off his head and send it back. Lord Stark has certainly lopped off many living heads. Robb, this dead man's head is perfect for you to cut off. Theon laughed as he suggested to Robb.

Let's show the Earl Bolton some respect and just return the corpse. Robb said solemnly.

Caitlin nodded silently; the child's steadiness pleased him. "Let's do just that. Send Ramsay Snow's corpse back, explain the situation, and warn the Earl Bolton to keep his men under strict control."

After issuing the order, Caitlin still felt slightly uneasy; finally she pinpointed the source of her unease: "Um, what about the girl who was flayed?"

My lady, I gave her a quick death. Rodrik looked even worse than she did, troubled by this honest instructor.

Caitlin felt a bit dizzy.

If she hadn't screamed, we wouldn't have known such a thing existed. Theon wasn't laughing either; perhaps the scene had also frightened him.

Then, what could she have said before she died? Caitlin didn't know how to ask such a question; she should ask nothing and simply forget the whole affair. The weather in the North is harsh, and people's deeds are harsh as well.

That girl had half her face and half her body flayed; she could not utter a complete sentence, only pleading for mercy… Gods, we can do nothing. Rodrik was agitated like a white‑furred gorilla.

Let's finish this quickly.

Ah, Mei Yi, the queen of love and beauty, and her guards' faces have all turned pale. Theon gave a wry smile and added, "Just like me."

Enough, enough! "Seven Gods above, you northerners, hurry up and finish this! I don't want to hear any more."

My lady, this kind of cruelty is unique to the North; not all northern men are like this. Rodrik defended.

Caitlin didn't want to discuss this further; she waved her hand and urged them to leave. Only Robb remained in place, clearly he had something to say to her.

Mother, the Earl Bolton must be punished; his bastard committed such a heinous crime, he must give an explanation and accept fitting punishment, and I demand he promise this will never happen again. At this point Caitlin noticed Robb's ashen face.

Yes, Robb is a just man, but I ought to teach him calmness, patience, and balance—not everything can be solved by violence, nor can every problem be resolved in a straightforward manner.

Bolton is the most influential noble in the North; any action against him must be undertaken with caution, showing force to his vassals while also tempering it with kindness. Tell me, are you prepared to turn against him?

No, mother.

Very good. Robb, I know you're upset, you're a good boy, but your father is far away in King's Landing; here in the North we must not give him more trouble. Caitlin looked at the boy before her, who shared her hair color, her heart swelling with pride and also aching.

I have grown up, and soon I will come of age; I am no longer a child, mother.

In a mother's eyes, who isn't a child? Caitlin saw he could not rebut, and she laughed.

Early the next morning, Mei Yi led his guard detachment back to Winterfell, but Caitlin noticed he had brought back no game; his net bag held only some plants and roots, while his cloth sack was filled with various unknown stones.

Sort these plants, then place them in an open area to dry. Caitlin heard her give the order.

My lady, please wait. Mei Yi saw her, "This is about Ramsay Snow; I have also found other victims."

Caitlin looked again at the returning contingent; a mismatched figure appeared—a young woman whose face was covered in wounds, wrapped in a huge fur‑covered cloak, her whole body shivering inside it.

These people are Ramsay's playthings; he strips them naked, then kindly lets them flee for half a day, after which he hunts them as prey. I've heard that if the prey amuses him, he kills them and flays them, even naming his hunting dogs after them; if they bore him, he flays them first. Mei Yi spoke directly to her in the courtyard.

She was a bit impatient, but she earnestly repeated it once more, for Bran's sake: "Ramsay is dead; we will send his corpse back to the Dreadfort and have Roose Bolton keep his own people in line. Furthermore, we demand he strictly prohibit the flaying. In short, this matter is settled; let it rest, and you need not concern yourself further."

My lady, this is why I brought this person back. I fear the dead one is not Ramsay. The calm words conveyed a cold fact. In just a few sentences, Caitlin understood that being a prisoner in Winterfell was the true Bolton bastard

How am I so unlucky to have to deal with this crap?

Go fetch Robb, Sean, and Sir Roderick, and tell them to come to the main fortress immediately to discuss matters! If the true bastard isn't dead, should we now kill that mongrel or send him back to the Dreadfort? I fear Robb would never allow such a person to go unpunished, and to do something the gods abhor; punishment can only be one thing, but is now the right time to make such a decision?

The names are: Robb (Luo Bo), Sean (Xi En)? Actually we need to output the pinyin version and the original Chinese characters for each name. According to the rules, personal names should be translated into English using Hanyu pinyin, unless they are already standard English forms. The glossary only includes Qiongen and Qiongenxuenuo. For all other names, we must provide their pinyin. As instructed, we should use the glossary names exactly as given. For names not in the glossary, we need to romanize them using pinyin (personal names → pinyin). Therefore, we need to output the raw term as the pinyin (capitalized) and the original term as the Chinese characters.

Thus we need to list all personal names, place names, sect names, official titles, etc. Let's parse.

We have:

- Luo Bo is the pinyin for the name Robb.

Given the ambiguity, we could output each character separated by a space, each capitalized: "Luó Dé Lì Kè". But they'd likely not include tone marks. So "Luo De Li Ke". However the examples didn't include spaces within given name; they combined. But they'd have to know where surname ends. For a transliterated name with no clear surname, maybe we treat the whole as given name and combine: "Luodelike". But that seems odd.

Better approach: Since the instruction says "Use glossary names exactly as provided." For names not in glossary, we need to provide the English form. The safest is to output the pinyin without tone marks, with each syllable separated by a space, and capitalize each syllable. This is unambiguous and follows the rule of capitalizing each part. Let's adopt that.

Thus:

- Luo Bo is the pinyin for the name Robb.

- Xi En is the pinyin for the name Sean.

- Luo De Li Ke is the pinyin for Sir Roderick.

Thus we need to extract all names and titles.

Let's go through each line and list unique entries.

We'll need to produce a JSON array of objects with raw_term and original_term.

We'll need to decide on the English raw_term for each.

We have to use exact English forms from glossary for those that appear: Qiongen and Qiongenxuenuo.

Now let's parse lines.

I'll write down each line and extract names.

【121】 none.

【122】

- Robb (person)

- Sean (person)

- Sir Roderick (person + title)

- Main fortress

- Dreadfort

- Bastard

- Mongrel

- Gods

- (no other)

- Catherine

- Main hall

- Robb

- (possibly the truth, generic)

- Jasmine

- Poor girl

- Robb

- La Mu Si

- (also 'you' pronoun)

- (maybe 'sin', generic)

- She

- His son

- This sinner

- This girl

- I

- La Mu Si Xue Nuo

- Smelly old man

- (also 'he' pronoun)

- You

- Lu Si Bo Dun

- Lu Si Bo Dun

- Lord Bolton

- Mei Yi

- (also 'dog', generic)

- She

- Robb

- (just opening quote) no names.

"Luo Bo, perhaps, Lu Sibodun only has him as a son." She prompted him, saying she would not speak after his son made a judgment, but Luo Bo seemed annoyed at her interruption.

- I

- He

- Madam

- Mei Yi

- (others generic)

Kaiselin looked at the silent Luo Bo; he was stubborn in his own opinion, he looked at Xi En, who said nothing, tugging at the corner of his mouth—even the gods don't know what he's thinking—I shouldn't have sought his support. He looked toward Luo Delike the instructor; he even turned his face away. She finally looked at Mei Yi, just a little girl almost the same age as his son—how could she offer Luo Bo any valuable advice?

- Catherine

- Robb

- Northern Border

- Law

- Decision

- Northern Border

- Peace and tranquility

- Lu Si Bo Dun

- (others generic)

- Robb

- Lu Si Bo Dun

- Anger

- Mother

- Lu Si Bo Dun

- Mei Yi

- Kingdom

- (others generic)

"I, Robb Stark of House Stark, acting lord of Winterfell, in the name of Robert Baratheon the First, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, sentence you to death. You have the right to choose to die as a bastard or as Ramsay Snow." Robb solemnly pronounced the judgment.

"No, you dare not kill me. My father will avenge me." He chose Ramsay Snow.

"That also has nothing to do with the dead, Ramsay!" Robb held his head high, he had already become accustomed to the identity of lord of Winterfell.

"Theon, take him to the far end of the training ground; I will personally execute him. Also, Mother, since Bran can get out of bed, please ask him to come along." Theon smiled, quickly kicked Ramsay, trying to drag the shouting Ramsay out of the hall.

His father had set an example for him; she knew he could look Ramsay in the eyes and behead him.

"No, I can join the Night's Watch; you cannot deny me this option." Ramsay Snow gritted his teeth.

"No, you don't have that option." Robb said harshly, "My uncle Benjen Stark and my brother Qiongenxuenuo are serving on the Wall; I will never let someone like you become their brother."